Getting help

Please note: all the times below refer to normal term time opening hours. Vacation periods and bank holidays may differ - see our opening hours page for full details and exceptions.

In Person

If you are in or near the Library building, we have people on hand during staffed opening hours who will be happy to answer any questions you might have. If they don't know the answer themselves, they will refer you to someone who does. You'll find help in a number of areas - while one location may have more specific expertise than another, feel free to seek help anywhere.

Reception Desk

Located outside the turnstile entry gates, this is the place to go if you have problems accessing the Library, or need to ask about Library membership. There will always be someone on duty whenever the Library is open.

Welcome Desk

Located just past the turnstiles, this is staffed 9am - 9pm weekdays and 10am - 4pm on weekends. Librarians will be able to answer many of your questions immediately, or point you in the right direction if they can't.

Support Services Desk

Staffed from 8am to midnight by IT Helpers as well as Librarians from 9am - 5pm to provide a comprehensive range of expertise.

Upper Floors Support

On the first & second floors of the Library, you'll normally find roaming Library staff wearing "Ask Me" badges (11am - 5pm, Mon. - Fri.). Their sole purpose is to help you, so don't be afraid to approach them with your questions.

Information Kiosks

We have a number of touch screen kiosks on all floors of the Library where you can quickly find the answers to the more commonly asked queries.

Online

If you can't get in to the Library, or even if you can but don't want to talk to someone in person, you can use any of our online help services including online chat and email. Just click at the bottom of this or any other Library web page.

By Phone

You can also phone us on +44 (0)23 9284 3228. Phones are normally staffed between 9am and 9pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm. Outside of these hours you will be redirected to call our out-of-hours service who may be able to help. You can use our text service if you need to report problem behaviour while in the Library.

Referencing

Sooner or later most students need help with referencing. You can use any of the above methods to get help, but because this is so important, we've built a self-service website Referencing@Portsmouth dedicated to solving your referencing problems, with examples of hundreds of different sources in a variety of formats in use at the University of Portsmouth.